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The pinnacle of Niger’s presidential guard declared himself the chief of the West African nation on Friday, two days after troopers detained the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani mentioned the “harsh actuality of insecurity in Niger” had led the troopers to overthrow the president. Tchiani criticized the federal government for not cooperating with neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in tackling the Islamist insurgency roiling the Sahel area of Africa and vowed to work with each nations, that are additionally led by army juntas. Bazoum had been a key ally of the US and different Western nations in confronting the insurgents.
Nigerien state tv recognized Tchiani as the top of the Nationwide Council for the Safeguarding of the Nation, which is what the coup makers calls themselves.
Tatiana Smirnova, a researcher at Centre FrancoPaix in battle decision and peace missions, mentioned that the safety scenario in Niger has not been deteriorating — and should have barely improved — in recent times, in distinction to the spiraling violence in Mali and Burkina Faso.
“The narrative that the army put into the discourse concerning the declining safety scenario is just not actually related,” she mentioned. “It’s a pretext.”
Niger military backs coup, casting struggle in opposition to Islamist militants into doubt
Smirnova and different researchers mentioned that one of many potential motivations for the coup was that Bazoum needed to exchange Tchiani in his position within the presidential guard. She mentioned that a lot stays unsure concerning the course of the coup authorities, noting there have rumors of stress inside the armed forces.
“What I’m actually afraid is what’s going to occur with Western companions,” she mentioned. “It’s not clear whether or not he’ll observe Mali and Burkina Faso as examples or whether or not he’ll protect cooperation with the West.”
The Sahel, which stretches throughout Africa beneath the Sahara Desert, has been rocked by Islamist insurgencies waged by teams linked with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. This violence took root in Mali in 2012 earlier than spreading to its neighbors. Western governments, led by the previous colonial energy France, had for years been serving to the Sahelian nations attempt to beat again the militants.
However rising anti-Western — and particularly anti-French — sentiment has contributed to a diminished Western presence within the area. Mali skilled its most up-to-date coup in 2021 and is led by a populist junta that has remoted the nation from the West. The Malian junta has welcomed the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Authorities troopers and Wagner contractors have been accused of atrocities in opposition to civilians.
Burkina Faso, which skilled its most up-to-date coup final yr, has been looking for assist from the West to fight the insurgency. The nation is now on the epicenter of the violence, and officers estimate that 40 to 60 p.c of its territory has been misplaced.
Niger has been an essential American and French ally within the area, with about 800 U.S. troopers stationed there and a big drone base. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has emphasised that the American partnership with Niger had rested on its “democratic governance and respect for the rule of regulation.” However the U.S. has not formally declared the seizure of energy a coup, which might necessitate the suspension of army assist.
French’s overseas ministry mentioned in an announcement Friday that it reiterated “within the strongest phrases the worldwide neighborhood’s clear demand for the instant restoration of constitutional order and democratically elected civilian energy.”
The way forward for Bazoum, who had been detained together with his household Wednesday, remained unclear as of Friday.
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